Active Enforcement of Cigarette Control Laws in the Prevention of Cigarette Sales to Minors

Abstract

Cigarette control laws can be effective in significantly reducing the rate of cigarettes sold by merchants and rates of cigarette use by adolescents. Key elements of successful legislation implementation are consistent compliance checking and heightened community awareness of the problems and prevalence of adolescent smoking.

Where Public School Students in Illinois Get Cigarettes and Alcohol: Characteristics of Minors Who Use Different Sources

“…More specifically, two multi-community interventions found that instituting compliance checks improved compliance somewhat, but had little effect on perceived access and no effect on smoking behavior (Altman et al, 1999;Rigotti et al, 1997), and another communitywide intervention yielded no effect even on compliance (Lewis et al, 1996). Yet another communitywide intervention, which included both compliance checks and community education, yielded improved compliance and reduced use of stores (Jason et al, 1991(Jason et al, , 1999a. However, that intervention had no effect on age of initiation or amount of smoking (Jason et al, 1999a(Jason et al, , 1999b, although it may have reduced the prevalence of regular smokers (Jason et al, 1991(Jason et al, , 1999a.…”

“…Yet another communitywide intervention, which included both compliance checks and community education, yielded improved compliance and reduced use of stores (Jason et al, 1991(Jason et al, , 1999a. However, that intervention had no effect on age of initiation or amount of smoking (Jason et al, 1999a(Jason et al, , 1999b, although it may have reduced the prevalence of regular smokers (Jason et al, 1991(Jason et al, , 1999a. Other interventions have yielded similarly inconsistent or inconclusive effects on smoking behavior (DiFranza et al, 1992;Hinds, 1992).…”

“…Finally, not surprisingly given the communitybased nature of the research, all of these intervention studies are vulnerable to at least one important possible confound due (a) to lack either of appropriate intervention-control comparisons or of appropriate pre-post comparisons (DiFranza et al, 1992;Jason et al, 1991Jason et al, , 1999aJason et al, , 1999b, (b) to possible response biases resulting either from very short term follow-up (Hinds, 1992;Jason et al, 1991) or from local ordinances prohibiting mere possession by minors (Jason et al, 1999b), or (c) to simultaneous community education Jason et al, 1991), which may be seen as an important adjunct to enforcement, but still constitutes a confound.…”

Getting the social organism thinking: strategy for systems change

“…There are notable exceptions in our field. For example, Jason, Ji, Anes, & Birkhead (1991) scrutinized how legislative changes on tobacco access-an environmental intervention-reduced smoking rates of minors by 50%. Importantly, this form of intervention runs counter to many programs that focus on educating and socializing students away from tobacco use.…”

Changing retailer knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to cigarette sales to minors

“…In Buffalo, New York, educational efforts had no effect on retail store tobacco sales to minors (Altman et al, 1989), and an educational campaign in Santa Clara, California, showed only a short-term reduction in sales (Altman, RasenickDouss, Foster, & Tye, 1991). Jason and colleagues (Jason, Ji, Anes, & Birkhead, 1991) reported a substantial impact of a merchant-oriented program. However, their approach included legislative and enforcement strategies in addition to the traditional educational approach.…”